Together We Stand
by HesMines
Summary: When it comes down to it, they fight for the man next to them. There's no such thing as an ex-marine. When an old friend of Steve's niece is kidnapped there's no question as to whether or not he'll help. He's in for the long haul. Established McKono
1. Chapter 1

**What am I thinking? Starting another multi-chapter fic when I should really be working on my NCIS fic. Oh well, you know what they say about the best laid plans... **

**Inspiration for this came out of rewatching old episodes (specifically the one with Operation Payback) when I was ill and then I was totally blindsided by this evil little plot bunny. Set in season two after Kono gets her badge back, but it's AU from season one. Anything I've changed will be explained. It's basically a Steve-gets-recalled fic with a side order of Five-0 and a dash of McKono on the side. First time I've attempted a Hawaii Five-0 fic, so I hope I've done them justice.**

**Massive thank you to KTMrshall who checked this over for me. Seriously, what kind of friend disappears for three days then sends you a 30 page document with the words 'help? chapter five sucks'? I am forever in your debt for putting up with me!**

**Disclaimer – I don't own anything, I'm just playing with the characters.**

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><p>They weren't expecting the call when it came. Although, in hindsight, it made perfect sense.<p>

Work had been almost unnaturally quiet, but they were too used to this life. They embraced the calm before the storm instead of fearing what was on the horizon. It was a chance to catch up on some paperwork and go home early while they could.

And if Kono got to spend more time with Steve – away from the team, where she didn't have to pretend that all she was to him was another team member – then that was fine by her.

The only sign that something was wrong was that for the past week Steve had been more attuned to the news than normal. Apparently, there was something in that two minute clip of a forest fire that had sparked the interest of her SEAL. So he started digging. She'd shrugged it off, knowing that if it was important he would have told her at the time, and that he'd tell her anyway once he'd figured the details out himself.

It wasn't until the Friday night that the story broke. It was Danny's weekend for Grace, so Steve had invited everyone over for dinner. Steaks for the adults, pizza (_normal_ pizza, with no fruit in sight) for Grace. Kono had been in the kitchen fixing the salad when she'd heard him curse quietly from his living room. Heading towards his voice, she found him leaning heavily against the back of the sofa with his eyes fixed on the TV screen.

"Things are getting messy," he muttered when he sensed her presence behind him, "The US won't stand for this, they'll send in the SEALs before long."

"What's getting messy?" she asked quietly, moving to stand next to him, "This what your little research projects been about?"

He smirked at her words, of course she'd notice.

Kono focused on the screen for a moment, reading the headline. A photograph of three girls – one blonde, two brunette – in prom dresses smiled back at her. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say there's more to this story than a Senator's daughter and her friends being kidnapped."

"The brunette in the green dress is Casey Wilson, the Senator's daughter. The blonde is Danielle Johnson, I served with her uncle. He'll want in on the rescue, but they won't let him because he's too close." Steve paused as the news story continued, now showing the families at a press conference. With a shrug he added, "I'd let him. He's one hell of a soldier, but right now he'll be like a one man strike team. The other brunette's Rachel Garcia, her parents are doctors. The girls were on vacation in Miami when they were taken as a warning to the Senator."

Kono frowned as she tried to remember some of Senator Wilson's policies, but drew a blank. California was a long way from Hawaii. Guessing, she asked, "Drug cartels?"

Steve nodded, "And human trafficking, and gun running, and just about every other illegal activity that comes out of Mexico and into California. Wilson's against them all."

"And how does this relate to the fact that you've been visiting CNN's website six times a day for the last week?" She raised an eyebrow questioningly, "There is no way you could've known someone was going to take those girls."

Steve was silent for a moment, and Kono suddenly wondered how much more he'd tell her. Sure, they'd come a long way in terms of communication since they'd first met – he now occasionally used words as well as actions to communicate, and she was almost fluent in Navy SEAL – but she understood that a lot of his life was still classified. Even to her.

It wasn't _Steve _who'd noticed something, it was _Lieutenant Commander_ McGarrett. It wasn't a Five-0 case, but something that would be dealt with in the way he used to work. Anything he told her now would have to go through his _things-that-you-don't-mention-in-front-of-civilians_ filter, because chances were there was a SEAL Commander out there looking at the same Intel and making life or death decisions.

However, despite her reservations, he just shrugged and turned away from the screen. "A few rich families in the middle of Mexico who support Wilson suddenly disappear, the border wars suddenly crank it up a notch, forest fires starting up in the wrong season? It's all linked. Someone was trying to tell Wilson to back off, and he didn't take the hint. But like I said, now they've got his daughter, the US'll intervene. And Sam'll make sure the Navy does everything possible to get his niece back. It'll be over soon enough."

And with that, he'd shrugged again and headed to the kitchen to get started on Grace's pizza, stopping to wrap an arm around her waist in a half-hug and press a kiss to her cheek. Smiling, she'd followed him without another word on the subject, instead asking if he thought she should put pineapple in the fruit salad to annoy Danny.

They both knew that she'd noticed the red flashing light on the cable box, telling her that he was recording the rest of the news programme. But she'd be disappointed if he didn't keep tabs on the case.

So really, they shouldn't have been surprised when the call came in two days later. He'd said the SEALS would be sent in to end it. And they were.

He just hadn't counted on being one of them.

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><p><strong>So...good? bad? terrible?<strong>

**I've written up to chapter 9 just now so I'll update every few days until I run out of chapters. Then the wait will most likely be longer. Actually no it definitely will. But on the plus side, I don't think it'll be **_**too **_**much longer than what I have written. Hopefully.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad everyone seems to like it :)**

**Disclaimer – Nope, still don't own it!**

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><p>Because of the standing of the task force, Governor Jameson had reached an agreement with the Navy. They got his one weekend a month, but they wouldn't call him back into service unless they needed his...specific skill set. Kono wasn't exactly sure how she'd managed it, but she had a funny feeling that that was where the full means and immunity had come from. Especially when Governor Denning had approached Steve after his first reserve weekend after he was cleared of Jameson's murder and informed him that the team once again had full means and immunity.<p>

It was a little too convenient for Kono's liking.

But it meant Steve didn't have to worry about Lori catching him out. Yes, Denning had _asked_ him to try and keep it legal before reminding him that Lori would still be reporting back if things got out of hand, but what Lori didn't know couldn't hurt them.

Steve hanging suspects over the roof again...Danny sighing in exasperation as Steve bundled yet another suspect into the trunk of the Camero...Steve and Kono's make-out session as their suspect begged them to get him out of the sink hole.

As far as Denning and Lori knew, those suspects had broken at Steve's glare.

It also made their paperwork a lot easier. They could admit to the odd unorthodox tactic every now and then, and it removed the need for explaining why you had driven around Honolulu at 2am with someone tied to your roof. This was something Kono was extremely thankful for, because right now she's sure the only reason Steve had done that last week was to show off. To her.

Wouldn't that look great in the report?

After skipping over their brief joyride, Kono decided that she could use some coffee before she started on the next batch of paperwork. Heading to the break room, she suppressed a grin as she heard Steve and Danny exit their offices when they saw where she was heading. In the Academy she'd quickly found that good coffee-making skills were a marketable skill within law enforcement.

Threaten to withhold the good stuff, those guys will do anything.

Danny and Steve were talking about some football game that was on the night before. Danny was adamant that the referee was blind, missing almost a dozen fouls, while Steve went on about some 'amazing' touchdown. Shaking her head at their antics, she leant back against the counter and grabbed a magazine from the pile she and Lori always kept in here but never got around to reading.

Ten minutes later, Steve and Danny had moved to the sofa with the coffee and were engaged in a play by play account of the game with Chin, while Kono was eyeing a pair of black and silver stilettos that would be perfect for her next undercover mission. Or that's what she'll tell Steve when he finds the magazine on his desk with the shoes circled.

Just as Kono was about to move to join the guys, two sets of footsteps could be heard heading towards the break room. All four heads snapped towards the door in expectation. Lori was in her usual monthly meeting with the Governor, so the obvious answer was for the second set to belong to him.

Lori appeared in the doorway, a slightly worried look on her face. "Steve, there's someone here to –"

Before she could finish her sentence, a tanned man in navy casuals stepped into the room behind the blonde.

"Sam." At the sight of the other SEAL, Steve jumped up from the couch and was next to his friend in an instant. Grabbing Sam's hand, Steve pulled the other man into a brief hug before he asked urgently, "Any news on Danielle?"

"They know where the bastards are keeping them, there's a team en route." Sam grimaced as he added, "Only problem is it isn't my team, and no one will tell me where the fuck she is. There somewhere we can talk?"

"My office is back this way." Steve gestured in the general direction of his office, before throwing a look over his shoulder at Kono. Understanding his meaning immediately, she turned back around to the coffee machine.

_**HAWAIIFIVE0**_

"You were on CNN this morning. Looks like the senator's publicist is playing all the angles." Steve informed Sam as the younger man sat down heavily into one of the chairs. He leant back against his desk, crossing his ankles and folding his arms as he studied his former teammate.

Sam was straight out of BUD/S when he'd been assigned to Steve's team. Twenty two, eager to prove himself, and had one hell of a fetish for explosives. On their first mission, Steve had told him to set up a distraction. _Surprise_ _me_.

He blew up a row of six empty warehouses, leaving a dozen boxes of fireworks and Chinese firecrackers on each roof to 'enhance the spectacle'. The self satisfied grin on Sam's face as he'd asked if the distraction had been big enough assured Steve of three things. One, the kid had a sense of humour. Two, he was completely bat-shit crazy.

Three, he was definitely staying on the team.

Sam hadn't changed much since the day Steve had met him. Tanned, 5" 11, build like a tank, blonde hair cropped short – the only difference was the addition of a few new scars here and there. His cocky grin said he was invincible, his guarded eyes told you otherwise. And if anything, the crazy bastard had become even more unhinged in the intervening six years.

But Steve couldn't take all the credit for that. Dingo had just as much input in corrupting the kid as he did.

At Steve's words, Sam cursed angrily under his breath. Steve knew the feeling – even after leaving active duty he still felt uneasy whenever he had to go on camera. They were supposed to blend into the background, shadows, they weren't _supposed_ to draw attention to themselves.

"It was pretty recent. And you were still in gear so I'm guessing it was after your last deployment."

"Six weeks ago." Sam confirmed with a shake of his head. "I got in the day before her prom...you should have seen her face when I stepped out that hanger. Her mom told her they were coming up to the base to pick up some stuff I'd forgotten."

"Scuttlebutt is she got into med school." Steve continued, waiting for Kono to arrive with the coffee and his file. He'd given it to her that morning so she could look over it. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes and his unusually pale skin, Sam hadn't slept since this had all started. While going four days on catnaps was commonplace in their line of work, being on this end of the hostage situation wasn't. It was only a matter of time before he crashed, and he was going to need the coffee and the information before he began to feel any better.

"Yeah." Sam smiled genuinely for the first time since Danielle had been taken, the pride evident in his tone. "You should hear her. She's gonna save the world. Or work for the Navy. I was on the other side of the world and my sister still managed to get me. I suddenly got this feeling of dread and I knew I was dead when I got home."

Danielle was the centre of Sam's world. Kind of like Chin and Kono, Sam was more of a big brother than an uncle. As far as she was concerned, he'd hung the moon or something equally as awe-inspiring. He'd take on the whole world to keep her safe. Which was why he was taking this whole thing so hard.

He was a SEAL. He was made for action, not sitting on the sidelines while someone else did all the work.

Just as Steve was running out of ideas for putting off the inevitable, Kono appeared in his doorway.

"Trust me," she grinned at Sam as she handed him the cup, "you'll feel a lot better after this." Then she threw the manila case file to Steve. Turning to go back to the break room, she threw over her shoulder, "And you'll feel even better once he tells you what's in _that_."

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><p><strong>So, there's Sam. Kinda filler-y, but the chapter was too long to do all in one. And I'll warn everyone now, I love cliffhangers...and random chapters in the middle of a 'scene' that go off on a tangent before coming back. My mind rarely works in a straight line, so the same goes for my stories. It's just my style! <strong>

**Since I probably won't be near my laptop tomorrow, the next update might not be until Monday :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Reading over my chapters, I've suddenly realised something. There is a bit of swearing in here – and I hadn't even noticed. The SEALs (even though you've only met Sam so far) get their personalities/mannerisms from people I know through my dad (some military/reserves but most are just normal people). Now I don't know if it's because of the line of work they're in, their generation or the fact I'm from Scotland "where 'fucking' is used as a comma" but these guys swear...well like sailors. And I know some people have an aversion to that, so I'm just warning you now. (Moreso because someone complained about my swearing in another one of my fics than anything else)**

**Disclaimer - Nope. Not much has changed in the last two days. But if I somehow get the rights, you'll notice a drastic change in the storylines!**

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><p>Steve waited until Sam had finished the coffee before he spoke again. At first the marine had taken a few cautious sips, but then he basically downed the mug as he felt the caffeine enter his system. Once Sam's eyes were brighter and he seemed more alert, Steve finally spoke, "I didn't spend seven years in Naval Intelligence without learning how to beat the system. What do you want to know first?"<p>

Sam's answer was instant, "Where the fuck is Danni?"

Without a word, Steve opened the file to the corresponding page and handed the file to the sitting marine. "The Intel is blocked from you and everyone on your team. My clearance is high enough that I can see everything. Even the Senator doesn't know where they are, but it isn't for a lack of trying. The last thing the brass wants is for you to get wind of this and go off by yourself. You don't need me to tell you this is bigger than those girls."

"An abandoned compound about halfway up Cerro el Potosí?" Sam looked up to check with Steve that he'd read the words right, "Who holds hostages halfway up a mountain?"

Tactically, that made no sense to Sam. It was isolated and they had the home field advantage, but he could already see a million ways in and flaws in their defences. The only worry was that, since they couldn't run anywhere, the captors would be more likely to kill their hostages when cornered.

"We've done stranger things," Steve shrugged before moving on, "The girls are being held as a warning to Wilson. You know why?"

Without looking up from the file Sam thought back to the man he'd met a few days ago. You could get a lot of information on someone from their file, but the look on his face as he realised that he was responsible for the girls' current situation said more than a piece of paper ever could. The fact that he refused to change his stance or drop any of his bills, even in the face of the current situation, had earned the man a lot of respect in Sam's eyes.

"He's messing with some pretty nasty people, not just in Mexico. Any one of his bills go through, the Californian criminal underworld is going to take a massive hit. Someone wanted him shut up."

"More than one someone. And he's not the only target."

Sam flipped through the pages as Steve spoke, absorbing the information that had been withheld from him. The Admiral had only told him the basics before putting him on the plane to Hawaii to talk to McGarrett. They all said he was too close to get involved. He should've known his old commander wouldn't keep him in the dark.

Steve tilted his head to the side as he asked, "So why _exactly_ did the Navy send you down here to talk to me instead of leaving you to comfort your sister?"

They didn't need to beat around the bush. They both knew why Sam was there instead of manning the vigil back home. He needed to feel like he was doing something. Steve just wanted to it out loud.

"Officially, I'm on compassionate leave until this is all over. Unofficially, I'm the pre-emptive strike." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a flash drive and threw it towards Steve. "You'll need your password to get into it. And, as you can probably guess, I don't have a clue what's on there. Wilson might be all for 'peace in our time', but he's baying for blood over this. And you don't see me arguing. We're sending in a team to take down the whole cartel. And I mean _everyone_."

"So not your typical Operation Payback." Steve nodded in understanding, getting a clearer picture of what the top brass wanted him for. Long term black ops were his area of expertise. And they knew he'd do anything for one of his old teammates.

"Hell no. This cartel is huge. And they aren't just into drugs. They're into everything from guns and human trafficking to diamond mines in Africa and political leaders in the Middle East..." Sam stood up as he began to talk, pacing the room as he recited the Intel that Admiral Davies had given him as he'd headed towards the chopper.

He hated this. He hated feeling helpless.

Once he was finished here he was going to go for a run. With any luck, Steve would know somewhere where he could just run until he physically couldn't go any further. "They've got links to terrorist networks, Costa Nostra, the Yakuza...the list goes on. We're not just taking out the leaders, we're wiping every single branch of these bastards out."

Pausing in his pacing, Sam stopped and looked out Steve's windows. He supposed the glass walls were some kind of metaphor for transparency but he was more concerned about people-watching. This was the life Steve had carved out for himself after leaving the SEALs. Sure, they'd kept in touch but occasional emails, phone calls and meeting up for drinks twice a year didn't give you _this_ insight.

The girl who had brought the coffee and the file was leaning against the smart table, studying something as if it didn't quite make sense to her. When she felt his gaze on her, she looked up and offered him a smile then went back to her work. She had to be Steve's girl.

When Steve had told him that he'd started seeing someone but they were keeping it under wraps for a bit, Sam had thought the old dog had lost his mind. Hawaii was paradise, but there had to be something in the pineapple. All that sun was going to his head.

They didn't call him Smooth Dog for nothing.

But if this was the girl, maybe Steve wasn't so crazy after all. She was hot. She could obviously hold her own if she was part of Five-0. And she made pretty damn good coffee.

The only doubt in Sam's mind was whether or not she'd stick around when she found out what was going to happen next. He didn't know the girl from Eve, but some of the strongest women he knew couldn't cope with having a SEAL for a _husband_, far less boyfriend.

"Her name's Kono. When I met her she was in a bikini and had just decked a guy for stealing her wave." Steve's voice broke through Sam's thoughts. Okay, so maybe Steve hadn't gone _that_ crazy. There was something in his friend's voice that was totally foreign to him. Love. He was sure that if he turned around he'd see the same look in Steve's eyes as he'd seen in his brother-in-laws every day for the last twenty years. "She's known from the moment you walked in here that I'm going with you."

Turning away from the window, Sam raised an eyebrow in confusion. Smiling somewhat proudly, Steve explained, "She knows that if you ask I'll say yes. And that you wouldn't be here if you weren't going to ask."

Sam nodded in understanding, feeling slightly better about the position he was about to put his friend in. His old life or his new one. By the looks of things, no one here would make him choose.

"In about half an hour you're going to get a call from Admiral Davies telling you you've been recalled. They only sent me here to make sure you said yes. They're putting a team together as we speak, handpicking men from across the board. When I said a team was en route...I meant that Dingo got pulled from his team in Prague and Wilcox is apparently on a destroyer in the middle of the Indian Ocean. He hitched the first ride back. They won't let me in on it, so I want people I can trust there. Danni knows you. She trusts you. She won't..." he trailed off, trying to get his emotions back in check.

He looked at the floor then back at Steve. There was something desperate about his gaze now, his voice almost pleading as he whispered, "I feel so fucking _useless_. I can't go save her. You can."

"What about the other guy?" Steve asked, both ignoring Sam's loss of control and reconfirming that he was definitely onboard. He focused on throwing the flash drive in the air and catching it again, knowing that Sam needed a few seconds to get himself together.

There were some things you couldn't compartmentalise, but didn't stop them from trying.

Nodding quickly, Sam started to pace the small room. Once he was sure he could speak without losing it, he let his mind drift to the last member of the team. He tried to keep a straight face as he thought of the best way to break the news to Steve. "I've served with Mark Rhodes for the last six months. He'll be your emergency medic. He...He's a typical SEAL. Well rounded."

Steve laughed at the mischief in Sam's voice. "Meaning he isn't our normal brand of crazy."

Sam laughed and shook his head. "After working with you three for years, I had no idea how to handle this guy. He's new...good but by the book. You're going to eat him alive."

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><p><strong>Cerro el Potosí – one of the highest peaks in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range in Mexico<strong>

**Costa Nostra – Sicilian Mafia**

**See you guys in two days :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Remember how I said I like random tangent chapters? This is one of them :) Pretty much shameless Steve/Kono...**

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><p>Officially, they've been together about six months.<p>

Unofficially, they don't have a clue. If you asked, neither one would be able to tell you when exactly they crossed the line from colleagues to something more.

For Steve, the shift completely blindsided him. One moment, she was just his rookie. Chin's little cousin. One of the guys. _Off_ _limits_. No thoughts of that nature permitted. The next they're undercover and she's kissing him and he doesn't want to let her go. So, of course, he does.

Which he's sure is one of the stupidest things he's done. Ever. Because holding Kono at arms length until he figured out what the hell was going on was far harder than it should have been. It was only a matter of time before he snapped.

Which happened to be twenty seven hours, one heart to heart with Chin and two breakfasts from her favourite bakery later. If Kono was surprised at him turning up at her door at 2am and kissing her senseless, she didn't show it. If anything, she gave him a look that almost made him feel like he was late.

And, actually, in her eyes...he was.

Because, for Kono, the change had been hovering in the background since the day they'd met. He was a guy. They'd met while she was in a bikini. Even if he refused to acknowledge her status as a female, the attraction was there. And then she'd developed an extremely embarrassing crush on him which Chin took great pleasure in teasing her about.

It was like fancying your high school teacher.

And then it wasn't. Like everything, the crush passed and she thought she was over it. Until she realised the feelings hadn't disappeared, they'd _changed_. As her friendship with Steve grew, so did she. She'd gone from being the green around the ears rookie to being thrown in at the deep end and treated like a cop with more experience than she had. She'd grown up, and her perception of Steve changed with it.

At some point he'd went from the being the unobtainable authority figure to just another guy. A very hot guy. Who she had a lot in common with. And if he wasn't her boss, she'd have made her move a long time ago.

Basically, she was screwed.

And the fact that everyone within a ten mile radius was convinced that they were falling headfirst into a relationship really didn't help. Steve knew two things – being a SEAL and staying alive. Understanding women and relationships did not fall into that category. She was entirely convinced that he didn't even realise what he was doing when he was around her.

His possessive hand at her back, the lingering looks, the flirting...he probably didn't notice.

So when she'd opened her door at 2am to find him standing on her porch with a half-crazed look in his eyes, all she could think was _finally_. And then Steve had made it his mission that she didn't have another coherent thought that night.

That had been two months before Governor Jameson was murdered. They'd kind of talked about going public beforehand, but not really. Chin already knew, and from his knowing look the morning after he was happy for them. Although that didn't stop him from making sure that Steve knew 'Fear of God' and 'Fear of Chin' were essentially the same thing.

Danny knew Steve was seeing someone, but other than the knowledge that it wasn't Catherine, he was clueless. And he was very vocal about the fact he couldn't care less.

Because Steve was his best friend. And if Steve was happy, Danny was happy. And a happy Steve was less likely to get them killed. It was a win-win situation. His only concern was that at some point he might need to track the girl down and convince her to stay forever. Or to take his thick-headed, sorry excuse for a best friend back when he screwed up. Whichever came first.

Kono had found that conversation hilarious. She'd avoided looking at Steve the whole time because she knew she'd lose it. She was sure that if it ever came to that Danny would be helping Chin kick Steve's ass. And as for Danny's first threat...

_Seriously, Steve, if you don't marry this girl __**I**__ will propose for you. And I'll take Grace with me. No one can refuse those eyes. _

She's positive it'd be impossible to say no.

But when all hell broke loose, going public was the last thing on their mind.

He was beating himself up for getting her into that mess and for letting himself get caught out. And then he was in prison and she was suspended. Her family and friends stood by her, believing in her, but she knew that support would disappear if _she_ stood by her 'murderer' boyfriend. So she'd stayed quiet, turning to Chin when it all got too much.

When Fryer put her undercover, Kono broke one of the rules straight away. She told Steve. His first reaction was just as explosive as his final one. He wanted Fryer's head.

But she'd talked him out of it, told him she could handle it and promised to tell him if she was in over her head. Then they'd laid out some ground rules for keeping their relationship even further under the radar. But he'd insisted on meeting her parents first because if they waited much longer they would definitely hate him.

Mary would already skin him alive for keeping it a secret this long.

Even if the situation had been far from perfect, Kono wouldn't have had it any other way. Besides, the chaos fit their life perfectly.

Whereas before they'd spent more nights at Steve's than Kono's, the roles suddenly switched. She couldn't be seen near his house, but he was an expert at sneaking undetected into hers. He was there every night when she got in from a meeting at 2am, anxiously waiting for her to return in one piece. When she needed information on the raids, he sat next to her as she 'hacked' his account.

When Chin voiced his concerns about her behaviour, Steve sighed and told his friend that she was just trying to cope with the reality that she might not get back. No, he didn't agree with her methods. Yes, he'd tried to talk her out of it. Yes, he was still trying to make her see sense. No, she wasn't getting information on raids, _they_ were just checking to see what IA had on her.

And when she'd ended up driving around with a dead body in her car, Kono was convinced he was going to blow their cover there and then. Frantic didn't even begin to describe it. She'd seen the sheer terror in his eyes when he'd realised Lori had a gun pointed at her.

Kono didn't trust the new girl. Steve had told her she was essentially there to babysit him and that didn't bode well with any of them. But the feeling didn't go away after the means and immunity were restored. There was just _something_ about her that made Kono's hairs stand on end. And all it took was one glance back as Steve led her to his truck.

"_What the hell Kono?" Steve hissed as he lowered his gun and almost ran towards her. The crazed, almost caged look in her eyes told him to back up. Begged him not to blow her cover just yet. Her voice echoed in his mind. She needed to do this. She needed to prove she was a good police officer. That she didn't get her place on Five-0 because she was Chin's cousin and sleeping with the boss._

_Yeah, well he needed his girlfriend not to end up in jail. He'd play along for now, but if things got worse he was pulling her immediately._

_In his peripheral vision, he saw that Chin and Danny had already lowered their weapons. Lori was taking a little longer. He felt his blood pressure slip up that extra notch._

_When he reached Kono, he grabbed her wrists to move her hands to her side. He knew she wasn't a threat. She didn't need to be treated like one. So what if anyone saw?_

"_Weapons?" _

_She nodded slowly, still trying to process what had happened. Her eyes flitted to Chin before she answered. "My back up at my ankle, knife at my waist. Gun in the glove box and under the driver's seat. Don't know what he..." she chanced a look back at the dead body in the passenger seat and had to repress a shudder, "I don't know what he has on him." _

_Steve nodded. It was all just for show. He knew where the guns in the car were, he'd put them there himself. And he'd stipulated what weapons she'd take as back-up...and discovered the increasingly creative places that she'd use to hide them as the outfits got skimpier. Today's outfit – cargo pants and a tank top – had been relatively easy to work with._

_Was it really only this morning that he'd kissed her goodbye and told her to be careful? It seemed a hell of a lot longer._

No cuffs. No restraints. He didn't even take her weapons from her. All that was missing were the neon signs saying 'Special Treatment' and 'Pissed off SEAL. Proceed with caution'.

Lori had stood there, staring at the pair in utter confusion, handcuffs dangling uselessly from her hand. And then Kono knew.

New girl had a crush on Steve. And, as usual, her SEAL was completely oblivious. Which made Kono completely oblivious. She couldn't see anyone from Five-0. It wasn't exactly like Danny could call her up to joke about the blonde's crush on his partner. And Chin didn't gossip. Especially about something like that. So it wouldn't have made a difference if they'd been talking or not. She was completely in the dark.

It wasn't a nice feeling. However, it had only taken a few hours of watching and a little reassurance from Chin to realise that Steve barely noticed the girl existed. She already knew it, but he only had eyes for her.

And when he decked Fryer...well that helped too.

By that point, the secrecy was part of the fun. The thrill of trying to stay under the radar.

Kono was a little worried about what Danny would say when he found out. They'd never hear the end of it. Indignant wouldn't even cover it. And then he'd start the lectures about acceptable behaviour in the workplace. Especially once he began to connect the dots.

Chin tries not to think about what could be going on when they both disappear from the office. An older cousin does not need those mental images. As far as he is concerned, Kono is still an innocent fourteen year old who would pick surfing over guys in a heartbeat. And he will happily cling to that delusion for a long as humanly possible. But Danny...when he finally sees what's right in front of him, the whole world will know.

She's not entirely looking forward to that.

It's not that Kono wouldn't love to wipe that flirtatious smile off Lori's face in a show of pure possessiveness. She'd love to. But she enjoys the knowing looks that Steve shoots her over the top of Lori's head when the blonde turns away. She loves the thrill of sneaking off to the locker rooms or the storage closet and hoping that no one notices that her clothes are rumpled, that her hair isn't as tidy as it had been...or that Steve looks far too smug for someone who'd gone for paper for the printer.

And forgot it. Twice.

Hiding in the bathroom when Danny turns up early one morning? Her reaction isn't resolving to discuss telling the team. Instead she'll wait until Steve walks past the door, she'll pull him in for a quick kiss then push him out the door again to deal with his partner and try not to laugh too loudly when she hears Danny ask where he'd disappeared to.

It's almost like a game. And they're both too stubborn to lose.

She loves him. And he loves her. And that's enough. It's all that matters.

Part of her wants to scream from the rooftops that she's finally got her man. More of her wants to lock him away and keep him all to herself. But she thinks Danny might have some issues with that. No matter what Steve or Danny say, there's definitely a bromance going on there.

Kono and Steve know they'll go public one day. But that day isn't today.

They don't have earplugs for telling Grace.

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><p><strong>Well, other than my obvious abuse of 'she', I think that went okay...<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, honesty time...I totally forgot to upload this. Real life kinda took over – as the 70-odd unread non-fanfic related emails in my inbox kindly like to remind me...and the fact I'm posting this after going out for my friends 18****th****. (And no, I'm not drunk. I'm just happy...and I have to get up for work in five hours...) Sorry I haven't replied to the reviews yet, I'll get to them soonish :) (sammie28 – I think you have a point and I'm considering the move, but I'll explain better in the reply)**

**I know this is very Dingo-orientated, but the guy just wouldn't shut up! Although, he does play a big part later on and the fact he's pretty damn close to Steve **_**is**_** relevant. He's the guy who holds the 'before' and 'after' pictures...link to the past and all that :) Not my favourite chapter...it's been under a lot of makeovers/chainsaw attacks! **

**Disclaimer – Nope. Still don't own it :(**

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><p>Lieutenant Commander Rick Allen kept his face blank as he followed the Ensign though the corridors of Pearl Harbour. He had no idea why, but for some reason he had been pulled from his team in Prague and called back to base. Something big was going down. Admirals didn't just call up SEALs on active duty for a chat. As it was, he had been walking away from a burning compound when his SAT phone had gone off.<p>

Admiral Davies had been straight to the point. His services were no longer required in Prague. He was being switched out with another SEAL and returning to the States. That did not sit well with him.

As a SEAL he would follow a direct order. But he didn't have to be happy about. That was his team out there – until the mission was over they were his responsibility. And now he was walking through the air conditioned corridors at Pearl instead of roughing it in Prague. It felt like he was cheating.

This had better be good.

Dingo nodded as the Ensign opened a door and told him that the Admiral would be with them shortly. Walking into the room, he saw that there were two other men waiting in the room.

The first was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes dropped briefly when he heard the door open, but when he saw Dingo he raised an eyebrow in a look that said '_you_ _too?'_ before he went back to studying the ceiling.

The second man was standing by the window, gazing out over the car park. He looked a little worse for wear than the first man – the first had obviously been called in from leave, but the second had the _three-hours-ago-I-was-in-the-middle-of-an-operation_ look about him.

It took a second longer than it should have for Dingo to recognise the man in front of him. "New York what the fuck did you do to your hair?"

At Dingo's voice, Lieutenant Stewart Wilcox turned back to face the room, broken from his reverie. When he took in his friend's appearance, Wilcox's original retort died in his throat as he laughed, "Dingo you look like shit."

"That's nice mate, real nice." Dingo rolled his eyes as he walked up to the conference table and dropped his pack onto it. Shrugging out of his gear he continued, "I bet you didn't look too hot yourself before you got called back here."

"What're you talking about? I always look hot?" Laughing, Wilcox threw Dingo a bottle of water from his end of the room. The other man, Mark Rhodes, moved from his position against the wall and joined the others at the table. Somehow, despite coming furthest, Wilcox was the first to get to Pearl. After they had established that neither of them knew anything they'd lapsed into a comfortable silence. Maybe the new guy knew something.

"Not with that hair you don't." There was a familiarity between the two that told Rhodes these two went way back. There was an ease to the bickering that you could see amongst the more experienced marines, those who had been to hell and back, seen each other at their worst and still came out fighting. "So you wanna tell me how you ended up looking like a light bulb?"

Wilcox grimaced at the memory and shook his head, "Let's just say this is a lot better than it was before." Ignoring Dingo's muttered '_it_ _was_ _worse'_, he instead turned to introduce the two men. "Rhodes, this is Lieutenant Commander Rick Allan. Call him Dingo, everyone does. And don't let the accent fool you, he _is_ American. Dingo, this is Mark Rhodes. He was on leave in Coronado when he got the same call as we did. He's been serving with Sam for the last six months."

Dingo stopped in the process of de-gearing himself to turn his head to Rhodes, "You know Sparky?"

Rhodes nodded, trying to push away the feeling that their presence in the room was somehow linked back to his teammate. One SEAL who knew Sam was a coincidence, but two? "Yes, sir. We were supposed to be shipping out again next week but it's been pushed back. Don't see that happening now. I'm here and he's on compassionate leave until they find his niece."

This time Dingo froze completely as the words reverberated in his mind. That wasn't news anyone wanted to get. Suddenly, the image of a sixteen year old Danielle hanging from Sam's neck appeared in front of his eyes. He hadn't seen the kid since the last time he'd worked with Sam almost eighteen months before, but that was like blinking in their world – hell, he hadn't seen Steve in even longer.

Although he knew he was stating the obvious, he asked, "Danielle?"

"Yeah, she was kidnapped last week. CNN was giving an update when I got here." Wilcox tilted his head toward the television screen in the corner. "Her being in trouble wasn't my first thought when I saw Sam on the screen...from what I can tell she was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Cursing under his breath, Dingo went back to removing his gear while making a mental note to call Sam as soon as he got out of the meeting.

Seeing that neither man wanted to continue the Danielle line of conversation, Rhodes decided to change the subject. Moving away from the table, he headed to the other side of the room to grab a bottle of water. "So, how long before they eventually tell us why we're here? Now that there's three of us, I'd say they're putting a team together. Either that or we're all in shit for something."

Before anyone could answer, the door opened once again. The three men turned and snapped to attention when they saw Admiral Davies walk through the door.

Davies nodded to the men and continued to the head of table, letting them fall back into a natural stance. Steve and Sam followed Davies through the door, however they stopped dead when they laid eyes on Wilcox.

Completely in sync with one another, their eyes widened as they exclaimed, "Wilcox what the fuck happened to your head?"

_**HAWAIIFIVE0**_

As Admiral Davies began briefing the team, Steve kept one ear on the situation and focused on studying the rest of the room. He already knew what Davies was going to say – he'd heard the original brief after Kono had dropped him off, and then he had devised their course of action accordingly. None of this was new to him. Everything was already committed to memory.

Sam stood on the other side of the table from him, his jaw set and determined. No one commented on the fact that he looked like death warmed over. All Steve could think was it was a million times better than before he'd found out he was allowed in on this meeting. Steve had convinced the Admiral that if Sam was in the loop he was less likely to go off and do something crazy.

"_You really think this would be for the best?"_

"_Yes, Sir." Steve nodded at the Admiral, meeting his steady gaze head on. "You're worried that he'll do something stupid. I can ensure that he won't. He'd do anything to protect Danielle, including staying on the sidelines. But I want him on that chopper. If you want an official justification, he's there to keep the girls calm until we reach base."_

_The Admiral studied Steve over the top of the file for a moment, replaying the conversation in his head. Eventually, Davies nodded, "He's there for the girls' wellbeing only. He doesn't leave the chopper and then he's pulled from the operation completely. I do not need a loose cannon on my staff, Commander."_

"_Understood." Steve nodded, internally relieved that he could at least give his friend that much. It was killing Sam and everyone could see the guilt was eating him alive. While the girls would benefit from a familiar face, they could survive without it. But Sam would never forgive himself if he thought he'd done nothing to protect them. "As things stand just now, I don't plan on telling him about this until the last minute. We'll let him think we're only reading him in until it's time to leave." _

Steve stood by his earlier decision. Sam had brightened almost immediately when Steve had poked his head out the door and told the SEAL to get his ass in the room so they could brief him. He was resigned to the fact he would be staying on the sidelines, but knowing what was happening seemed to have curbed his fears.

When you'd seen everything they had, it was all too easy to imagine what the girls were going though. If he was focused, he wouldn't think about it.

Steve couldn't wait to see Sam's face when he ordered him onto the chopper.

Dingo stood off to the right of Sam, trying to give the younger man support through his presence. For all his bitching and teasing, Dingo was loyal to a fault. As soon as he knew that Sam was involved he was onboard a thousand percent.

Despite his Australian accent and Crocodile Dundee attitude, Dingo was a patriot to the core. He was born in DC, but his father was the US Ambassador to Australia. The ages of four to sixteen were spent in Canberra before his parents had decided that sending him to a boarding school in the US was the best thing for his future.

His arrival in DC was like taking a fish out of water. Rick _knew_ he was American. He was _proud_ of that fact. But taking him away from the sun, beaches and surf of Australia and dumping him in the cold, dreariness that was DC almost broke him. His father wanted him to be a lawyer – so much so that by the time Dingo's head had stopped spinning from the move he was at Harvard. Third in his class after the first year. It was a million miles away from the man Dingo wanted to be. So, after a brief visit to his old friends in Oz to make sure he was making the right decision, he dropped out and joined the Navy.

His mother still hasn't forgiven him. His dad is getting there.

Before joining the SEALs, Dingo was a sniper and a damn good one at that. Steve and Dingo had been in the same BUD/S class – they'd been to hell and back. About seventy percent of the missions they'd completed were undertaken together.

Dingo had been there in Korea the day Steve's father was murdered. He took a round to the thigh in the fire fight, but still ended up taking control of the situation. He saw how close Steve was to losing it and knew he was too close to think rationally. He didn't say a word on the ride back, offering comfort through his presence when he knew words would never make a difference.

The only time he left Steve's side was to call his own father to start building some bridges.

When they arrived back in Coronado he'd clapped Steve on the back and told him to take all the time he needed. And when he found out Steve had transferred to the reserves he almost flew out to Hawaii to drag Steve's sorry ass back to work. There was grieving and then there was just plain stupid. However, by the time he eventually got Steve on the phone and listened to his side of the story he couldn't fault his friends logic.

Well, he could. But he wasn't going to. And Steve's still grateful for that.

Wilcox was another story. He'd been a few BUD/S classes behind them but was a year older than Steve. He'd completed a few operations with them as a pair, but even more with them separately. As his nickname suggested, Wilcox was a New Yorker and proud of that fact. His heart was in the city – skyscrapers, dirty streets and lots and lots of noise. If there was a heaven, he was sure it'd look like New York City, while the Mets games were his earthly sanctuary.

That had put him at odds with Steve and Dingo right away – who needs all that when you have a beach in your back yard?

With great difficulty, Steve had managed to keep his comments on Wilcox's hair to a minimum. Steve could tell by the way his hand kept twitching upwards that the other man disliked the impromptu dye job as much as the others. As soon as they girls were safe, Steve was going to insist on dying his hair back to its normal colour as soon as possible.

The New Yorker was supposed to fit the description of tall, dark and dangerous. Steve couldn't remember how many times he and Wilcox had used that feature of their appearances to save their asses. A platinum blonde Wilcox was just...unsettling.

It was like Steve suddenly voicing the urge to wear a tie to work.

When Steve eventually had to give up Sam – nine months after they'd first met – he had pulled some strings to ensure that the kid had the best chance for his future. As well as giving him a glowing commendation, he'd made sure that the kid ended up on the same teams as either Dingo or Wilcox until he reached the eighteen month mark. Sam had the makings of being a great SEAL and a bright future, but Steve had to make sure that he ended up with the right people.

Which was something Sam was trying to achieve with the final man on their team.

Mark Rhodes had to be at least six years younger than Steve and was relatively new to the SEALs. He only had three operations under his belt, but he'd been in the Navy his entire life. He was third generation Navy and had spent his life moving from base to base. Typical Navy Brat. There was never a question of what career he would follow, only which area.

Despite was Sam had said about the kid being by the book, Steve could see the potential. A long term operation like the one they were facing, plus three completely insane (Danny's standards, not his) teammates...Steve had a feeling Rhodes would get on just fine.

As the Admiral was ending his briefing, Steve knew it was his turn to step up and talk. The finer details could be explained once they were in the air, but the general outline for the mission – and specifically the rescue – needed to be done now. The men needed to know exactly what they were letting themselves in for and Steve needed to assert himself as leader.

When the Admiral handed the floor to Steve, he merely nodded in his superior's direction. His focus was on Dingo. "You okay taking orders from me again?"

Despite entering the SEALs at the same time, Steve had progressed faster than his friend. Within two years Steve had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander and had a team of his own. Dingo would rather be 'the awesome second in command' than the leader. It was only in the two years Steve had been in Hawaii that Dingo finally made the leap.

Dingo let a small smirk dance around his lips before he answered, "Stupid question."

Nodding swiftly, seeing more in Dingo's answer than the others would, Steve walked up to the monitor and barked, "Then let's get to work."

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><p><strong>Meh, still not 100% sure of this...but it's done :) Any and all opinionssuggestions are totally welcome.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sooo...if I'm being honest I totally forgot to upload this. I'd changed the layout a little and was working on a bit to add in the middle, went away for the weekend and forgot about it when I came back. So. Here is it. Eventually!**

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><p>Admiral Davies escorted them to the chopper. Once they were in the air, he would be taking another flight back to California to wait with the families. If nothing else, Davies was a hands-on administrator. He took this level of involvement in every operation under his command, not just the high profile ones that could blow up and make life very difficult for everyone involved. Due to the nature of the operation, he and Steve had decided that they would keep Sam's involvement in the rescue quiet until they were on the return flight. The last thing they needed was a leak in the Senator's office passing the information on to the Mexicans. There was no proof he had a leak...but the risk was too high.<p>

As they approached the chopper, Steve sensed Sam falling out of step with the rest of them. He'd reverted to relying on his training to cope and, as he was under the impression he was staying behind, he was anticipating the Admiral's next move. A beat later, the Admiral slowed his steps. Taking this as his queue, Steve quickened his pace. Wilcox, Rhodes and Dingo adjusted themselves accordingly, barely noticing the movement. It was instinct.

When Sam and the Admiral dropped back even further, Steve had to bite back a grin. "Sparky, where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Sir?" Sam shouted over the roar of the blades. He felt this was marginally better than the ineloquent 'huh' that had threatened to slip out instead. Sure he sounded confused, but at least his response was coherent.

"You're not going back to California." Steve's answer sounded more like an order than an explanation. It was as if he was weighing every word before it left his mouth. Which he was. If Danny could see him now he'd laugh and tell him he was in full blown Rambo-mode. Everything was a tactical and strategic decision. The buck stopped with him. Turning his head to the side he allowed a small smile to cross his face, "Get your ass on that chopper marine."

Steve was impressed with Sam's reaction. His eyes widened in surprise and relief, but he caught that quickly and controlled his expression. He merely nodded, adjusted the strap of his pack on his shoulder and caught up with the others. Completely professional.

Nothing less than Steve expected.

_**HAWAIIFIVE0**_

As soon as the chopper was in the air, Steve locked eyes with Sam. The other man was sitting across from him, sandwiched between Dingo and Wilcox. It was a deliberate move. If by some sick twist of fate the situation changed drastically before they reached Mexico it meant that they could, hopefully, keep Sam grounded. He was staying in this chopper no matter what - even if that meant they had to tie him up.

"Ground rules," Steve started, his voice leaving no room for arguments. "You stay on the chopper at all times. The girls are your priority. And once we get them back to base you go with them and we'll continue with the mission."

"Yes, sir." Sam nodded. He got Steve's message loud and clear. Do not fuck this up – he'd just pronounced it 'ground rules'. Sam knew he owed Steve big time. Other men would have made him go back to California and let him tear himself to pieces. He was already formulating a plan in his head for how he could start to pay him back. "How'd you manage to get me on here anyway?"

"Davies is worried you're a flight risk. I told him I could remove that risk. Give me your spare shirt." And with that the subject was dropped. If Sam found anything strange about Steve's instruction he didn't show it as he reached into his pack.

Special operations teams – SEALs included – were a lot like expectant mothers, ready to leave at a moment's notice. Except pregnant women didn't tend to carry spare ammo and grenades in their overnight bags. It was a habit Steve could never break out of; he currently had four bags stashed in case a situation like this ever arose. One at home. One at Kono's on the off chance they decided to spend the night at hers and he was called up. One at the office. Then there was the one in his truck that went wherever he did.

It made life a lot easier when all hell broke loose. Which was actually a regular occurrence in this line of work. There was so much that went on under the radar.

He could remember every 3am phone call, every time he'd had to run out on Catherine – there was a reason they always skipped to dessert – because of some disaster _somewhere_...He could remember when that was his life. It was a little unnerving to realise how quickly he'd slipped back into that role.

It was like nothing had changed.

Glancing around the hold, he made momentary eye contact with each of his men silently giving them further instructions. After he saw their discreet nods of understanding, he turned his attention to Dingo. In a few minutes, they would split off and the other conversations would begin. Normally these served as a stress relief before the action began, so the topics were always light and inconsequential. Family, football, what you were going to do on your next leave, colleagues in common...

"I ended it with Catherine."

"You did _what_?"

But then in some cases everything had changed.

_**HAWAIIFIVE0**_

Kono was sitting in her office attempting to tackle the huge pile of paperwork staring at her from her desk. Paperwork was the one part of this job that she hated. And it could only be put off for so long. Normally, if she was in a slump like this, Steve wouldn't be long in offering her a little motivation.

Danny could be bought with pizza and beer. She could be persuaded with chocolate soufflé from her favourite restaurant and whispered promises of what he'd do to her once they were alone.

Six weeks. It'd been six weeks since she'd dropped him off at the naval base, when he'd grinned and told her he wouldn't be long.

She really wanted to know in which world this constituted as 'not long'. Unless he was talking in comparison to eighteen month deployments. And if that was the case she was going to kick his ass when he got home. She'd wait for him, that was a given. But if he was going to be gone for a year she wanted a little warning!

As she was contemplating whether or not she'd get away with slipping some of her work into Lori's pile, her cell started buzzing. Glancing at the caller ID she saw that the number was withheld, "Kalakaua?"

_"Hey babe."_

"Steve!" Kono had to tone down her shriek.

_"Surprise."_She could hear his smirk as his voice crackled down the line. He was alive, and laughing at her reaction. He was fine. There was static on the line, but she could make out the roar of engines and men talking in the background. She guessed he was either on a chopper or a ship. She didn't need to ask about Danielle and the girls. Their safe return had been all over the news three days after Steve left. Sam broke protocol and called her a few days after that with an update. It wasn't much...but it was enough.

"You're one smug bastard, you know that?" She replied in mock annoyance, leaning back in her chair with a grin, suddenly feeling a lot lighter.

Steve chuckled and she could imagine the look he'd be giving her, _"You've been spending way too much time with Danny."_

"Considering my boyfriend is god knows where, I don't really have much choice. Someone needs to keep him in line." She paused for a moment before she added, "He misses you. He barely rants anymore...and we're going all _Jersey_." She emphasised the last word with a shudder, "The sharks are feeling neglected."

_"So Danny and the sharks miss me. I really hope that's not the entirety of the list."_

"Nah brah, that's about it." She teased, a genuine smile on her lips for the first time since she'd dropped him off. "Well Grace is pretty near the top. Keeps asking if you'll make it back for her birthday. No one knows what to say."

_"Her birthday isn't for another six months." _He stated, his voice laced with confusion.

Kono suddenly felt the mood of the conversation change. It had been so easy to pretend that this was only temporary, like his reserve weekends or when he and Danny headed to the big island to follow up a lead. She didn't want to cause an argument, but dammit he owed them more than this.

"It's a valid question. _Are_you going to be back for her birthday?" she snapped, suddenly feeling guilty. They were both new to this. He wasn't used to having someone waiting at home for him and she had no idea how to play the dutiful Navy girlfriend.

_"I should be. So far, everything's going to plan."_ There was a beat of silence after his words. She heard him sigh heavily and readjust his position. She could picture him standing in the belly of a chopper or a ship, a few feet away from his team, leaning against a crate or metal beam. For some reason, she knew he held the phone tighter as he softly spoke his next words._ "You know I miss you."_

She had to swallow past the lump that appeared in her throat to answer him. Even though he couldn't see her, she nodded, "Yeah. I know. In case you didn't get it earlier, I miss you too. You realise you're coming home to half your wardrobe missing and a house in chaos because your girlfriend is nowhere near as organised as you."

_"I like the sound of that..."_ His voice dropped an octave as he answered. It only took a moment for him to process the first part of her statement that he'd ignored in favour of the knowledge that she'd basically moved into his house. _ "Wait why is half my wardrobe missing?"_

Kono had to laugh at his suspicious tone. She knew he was thinking that Danny had somehow gotten into his wardrobe and replaced everything with shirts, ties and pants. "I might have borrowed a few things and decided that they look a lot better on me." Kono smirked when she heard Steve hum in agreement. Feeling a little devious she added, "Paperwork days are so depressing when you aren't here to -"

Steve cut her off before she could finish her sentence, suddenly serious, _"I'd choose your next words very carefully. Keep in mind I'm about ten feet away from a bunch of extremely nosy SEALs."_

She laughed as the sounds of men protesting in the background drifted down the line. She guessed Steve flipped them off or something similar, because the cat calls and laughing got louder. Grinning, she decided to go for the safer option, "I love you."

_"I love you too."_

Kono opened her mouth to say something else when movement from outside her office caught her eye. Letting out a soft gasp, she jumped out of her chair and headed towards the door. Steve sensed the change, but before he could say anything she whispered urgently, "Wait. Listen to me, you are not allowed to go _anywhere_in the next few minutes. Danny just walked in with Grace."

_"Kono, it's eleven am your time, why isn't she in school?"_

"Something to do with the fire alarm. After the sixth false alarm the principal gave up and sent everyone home." She waved off his question, instead focusing her attention on the nine year old who was just rounding the smart table. Trying to keep her voice neutral, she grinned, "Hey Grace, I've got someone who wants to talk to you."

Ignoring Danny's questioning look, she crouched down in front of Grace and handed her the cell. Kono's grin grew as Grace frowned in confusion and lifted the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

Kono was close enough that she could still hear Steve's voice. There was a beat of silence between his 'hey kiddo' and Grace's ear-splitting scream. Almost immediately she started bouncing on the spot, full of nervous energy, firing off questions at a hundred miles an hour and slipping in the odd bit of news.

Leaning back on her heels, Kono grinned up at Danny and Chin. Lori jumped up from her desk and ran to join them at Grace's scream. As she looked between the three and the various expressions of shock, Kono found herself laughing hysterically.

They looked like goldfish.

She'd finally let go of the weight that had been sitting on her chest since she'd dropped Steve off. She could breathe normally again. He was okay. And damn it felt good to laugh. Before she knew it, she was sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around her middle and tears streaming from her eyes as she tried to get her laughter under control.

Lori and Danny were looking at her with bemused smiles. Especially with Lori, the fact she was letting go like this during work was something rare. And Danny planned on bringing this up when she started to get depressed again. But right now, he was just happy that she was smiling again and that Steve was safe.

Grace was going to be talking about this for weeks. Rachel would love it.

Chin, however, didn't even try to conceal his grin. Kono was like a little sister to him. He was just happy she was halfway normal. Kono, as a rule, didn't cry. She'd rather go surfing or get angry and shout than cry. Excluding the months after her accident where every step was agony and she slowly realised she'd lost her career, he'd seen her cry more in the last six weeks than he had in her entire lifetime.

Her parents were worried about her. They didn't exactly approve of Steve, but they didn't dislike him either. They had the same view as Danny did about Grace's future boyfriends – you want her to be happy, but preferably with someone who doesn't fit the profile of tall, dark and dangerous. In their eyes, Kono had gone from surfers with little or no prospects if things went wrong to Steve...an ex-Navy SEAL with tattoos, a motorbike and a tendency to blow things up. Their grandmother loved him, but that was beside the point.

As much as they had their reservations about Steve, they were finally starting to realise that this was serious. She was quiet...reserved. That wasn't Kono. Two weeks after he'd shipped out she'd exploded at one of the family dinners. Chin doesn't even remember the throwaway comment made by his uncle, but before he knew what was happening Kono was on her feet, screaming at her father.

_How can you say that Dad? Do you honestly think he means that little to me? I __**love**__ him. And he loves me. I'll still be here when he comes home and I don't care if you approve or not!_

Even if she didn't say anything, Chin knew she knew what Steve was doing. Or at least the basics of it. The look in her eyes came from _knowing_, not guessing. But, for now, that look was gone. Talking to Steve had abated her fears a little.

This was exactly what they'd all needed. Something to lift the dark cloud that was sitting around the office. _Proof_ that Steve could still handle himself out in the field, even though they knew it was true.

"Hey Monkey, tell Uncle Steve that if he comes home hurt I'll shoot him myself!"

Chin laughed as he watched the banter between his ohana, despite the fact that one member was a few thousand miles away. Danny was grinning as he walked around the office. He had lifted up Grace so that she was sitting on his hip, but it was a move that meant he could hear his best friend's voice. Grace was laughing at whatever Steve said in reply to Danny's comment. For a moment, everything was perfect.

But then the bubble burst.

Kono knew the moment that the grin dropped from Grace's face that Steve had to go. It was inevitable, he couldn't talk forever, but that knowledge didn't make saying goodbye any easier.

"What does that mean Uncle Steve?" Grace asked, her voice no more than a whisper. Frowning, Danny carefully took the phone from Grace and put Steve on speaker.

"– _means I need to go back to work."_ Steve's voice was low, apologetic. For a man who said he wasn't good with kids, Kono was impressed with how he was handling the situation. Before anyone could say anything, another voice echoed down the line._ "Commander, you're really going to want to take a look at –" "Rhodes, unless the ba-"_

"Steven." Danny cut across Steve's complaint before it could begin, reminding him Grace could still hear every word.

Without missing a beat, Steve changed his word choice and continued, _"-ad guy is drawing us a detailed map to where he's holding everything and giving us they keys, I couldn't give a fu-"_

This time it was Kono who cut Steve off before he crossed the line. He knew the house rules – no swearing in front of Grace. No trashing Stan in front of Grace. No talking shop in front of Grace. For a SEAL on active duty, he wasn't showing too much control. Laughing, she admonished, "Boss."

Sighing heavily, Steve tried again, _"Rhodes, we're in the middle of the Pacific and we aren't going anywhere fast. I can watch it on playback."_

Everyone's ears perked up at that, filing away that piece of information for later. Lori headed towards the smart table, opening a new window and beginning to search for news from around that area. Steve could let them have that piece of information – there were plenty of US Navy ships in and around the Pacific and a lot of people knew that. Besides, whatever he'd been there to carry out was over. No one could change that now.

"You better get back to work, _Commander_, can't have them saying you're going soft." Kono laughed, standing up from her position on the floor. With a smile she added, "We'll still be here when you get back."

"_Okay. Talk to you later." _Steve's words were met with a chorus of byes from the room. Grace looked like she was about to lose it, but didn't want to cry while he could still hear her. Then, almost as an afterthought he added,_ "And no blowing things up while I'm away."_

Seeing as Danny was too busy trying to console his daughter, Lori chimed in with the words she knew were on his mind, "You'll need to talk to Kono about that one. Did she tell you she threw a guy off a roof last week?"

_**HAWAIIFIVE0**_

Steve looked at the SAT phone in his hand for a moment after he'd ended the call. The last thing he'd heard was Kono's distant protest that the guy had only fallen one story. He didn't _want_ to hang up on them, but he knew he had to.

This wasn't the first time he'd ever made a call like this. Occasionally he'd phone his dad if he got this chance, but their conversations were always brief and to the point. He'd never felt like this before. His chest felt a little hollow, something he knew was probably homesickness – not that he'd ever admit it – but he also felt a lot better after the conversation.

Knowing that Kono was waiting for him to come home spurred him on to get this over with as soon as possible. Especially when she'd hinted that she'd essentially moved herself into his house. Even though they'd kept their relationship a secret from most of their friends there was something primitive in him that was pleased with the fact she was actively marking herself as his.

And then there was Grace. She was so innocent. All she wanted was for him to come home. Preferably soon. No matter how tough his training had been, he wasn't prepared for saying goodbye to his nine year old niece.

Now he knew why Sam always got that look on his face after he made these calls to his sister, and then directly to Danielle once she was old enough. He already knew he'd fight tooth and nail to get back to his ohana, but this only strengthened his resolve.

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he headed back over to the computer screens where his team were sitting. This was a search and destroy mission. Their job was to gather as much Intel as they needed to get to the next rung on the ladder, with a little help from the CIA of course, and then they left no survivors.

They'd just completed a body snatch in Crete, picking up one of the Cartel's 'area managers' with a little help from their previous target.

After extracting as much information from this target as they could, they'd sailed fifteen miles out to sea, kneecapped him and tossed him overboard. If and when his body washed ashore, the authorities would recognise the MO and assume he'd been taken down by a rival gang. Now they were sitting in one of the free rooms on an aircraft carrier, going over the Intel and waiting for their ride out of there.

Looking over Dingo's shoulder, Steve pushed any remaining thoughts of Five-0 and home out of his head, focusing instead on the task at hand. Dingo played back the footage from a few minutes previously. This one would be easy.

The idiot had all but led them to his base. A few more satellite searches and they'd have the rest of his warehouses in no time. It didn't even look like they'd need to capture him – if all went well a bullet to the head was all it would take.

After Steve nodded and barked a few orders to the other SEALs, Dingo spun around in his seat to raise an eyebrow expectantly. With all the tact of a Bond villain – which Steve knew was only for show – he grinned, "The only person you ever called was your old man. Now since the old guy's dead and _that_clearly wasn't your sister..."

Refusing to rise to the bait, Steve grabbed the chair next to Dingo and agreed, "That definitely wasn't my sister."

When he realised that Steve wasn't going to expand, Dingo cried indignantly, "Oh c'mon Dog! Don't you wanna tell old Dingo about your island princess? Kono you said? She has to be a native. And she has a kid? You haven't been gone long enough for it to be yours. Although the idea of you having a step-kid makes me feel pretty damn old."

"One, I'm older than you. Two, Grace is my partner's kid." Steve couldn't help the smirk that settled on his face at Dingo's ranting. The man was as subtle as a flying brick. "Three, it's not my fault you've been unreachable for the last eight months."

"So let me get this straight." There was something akin to awe in Dingo's tone as he put together Steve's words. Or maybe it was just shock at Steve's sheer audacity to have a girl on the team. And then to sleep with said girl. "You call your girlfriend and end up talking to your partner's kid...mixing work with pleasure are we?"

Steve's smirk grew as he caught sight of Dingo's gleeful expression out the corner of his eye. And Danny thought _he_ was the crazy one. Dingo was almost salivating at the prospect of finding out the details of his relationship with Kono. Talk about vicarious pleasures.

Turning around, Steve pulled the keyboard towards him and began pulling up various other pieces of Intel. "Wouldn't you like to know."

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><p><strong>Well, this was longer than I'd initially planned...but I didn't have enough in the first section to separate them out. What happened while Steve was in Mexico <em>will <em>make an appearance...it was supposed to happen after the chopper, but life got in the way and my notebook with that part of the story has wandered off somewhere. Everything else up to chapter 9 was typed...so I just meshed them. What happened in Mexico will appear at a later date as a flashback.**

**Ciao x**


	7. Chapter 7

**So, thanks to KTMrshall for kicking my ass to actually get this posted before the world ends...**

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><p>Steven McGarrett was not a happy SEAL. Ever since they'd pinpointed the location of their next target, the scowl had been an almost permanent fixture on his face. While it fit in perfectly with his current cover, it did not bode well for anything else. His team didn't quite understand the reason behind his frustration and anger, but he really didn't expect them to.<p>

Danielle was what Sam went home for. Not his sister or his parents, _Danielle_. He would understand. The rest of the guys were warm-blooded single men. They tended to sleep their way through every city they were stationed in. Some girls lasted longer than others, but nothing was permanent. So he supposed their confused glances were warranted.

He hadn't exactly acted 'professionally'.

The Irish man strapped to the chair in the underground bunker was Michael Blakely. His father had run guns for the IRA until peace broke out, but Michael had his eyes set on greener pastures. His father and grandfather had been small time players; infamous on their turf, anonymous everywhere else. Michael wanted people to know his _name_.

Which was how he'd found himself body snatched as he staggered from the bar to the toilets in his local pub.

Blakely wasn't a tough nut to crack. As soon as they'd taken the bag off his head, he'd begged them to let him go. He'd offered to tell them everything as long as they didn't kill him. Steve asked about his recent trip to LA, and Blakely sung like a canary. He didn't even need much prodding after that, something that Rhodes seemed disappointed in. But when he revealed where he was supposed to be going next, Steve saw red.

_I'm supposed to be meeting this guy, Vasco Alves, next week. We were going to finalise the terms of an exchange. I don't even know why we're doing it – there's nothing in it for him. I think he got orders from Mexico – I don't know who they are – to get his product off the island._

_What product?_

_Girls. Lots and lots of girls. Girls for guns, that's the deal. I fly in, meet his people at some abandoned warehouse, they'll take me to wherever he is and I sit through the meeting playing nice even though we both know nothing will happen until after dinner. Then he'll take me to wherever he's keeping the girls, I try a few out even though the deals practically done, he sticks them on a ship and I fly home._

_And where __**exactly**__ is this warehouse?_

_It's just outside of Waikiki. Oahu. Hawaii._

And that was when Steve lost it. The feeling of dread that had appeared in his gut at the words 'off the island' morphed into full blown anger and before he knew it he was across the room, leaving the shadows to throw Blakely to the floor. One punch was all it took to knock the Irishman out. Just like they were trained to, his team didn't react to the sudden display of violence. However, Steve could feel Dingo's concerned gaze on him as he stormed out of the room, ordering his team to finish the job themselves.

_Get him outta my sight!_

_With pleasure sir._

No one had mentioned his change in mood, or the fact it steadily grew worse as the meeting neared. In his head, Steve was placing money on which of his men would be stupid enough to confront him first. And he was going to enjoy tearing whoever asked a new one. It might make him feel marginally better.

If Wilcox caves first, Kono gets something shiny. If Rhodes breaks, she gets those shoes she was eyeing up before he left. And in the unlikely event that Dingo is the first to put his hand in the tiger cage, he's going to take her to that fancy Thai place she likes on Maui.

As the air hostess came over to tell him that the plane would be landing momentarily and could he please fasten his seatbelt, he felt his glare darken. He nodded tersely at the woman and returned his glare to the back of the chair in front of him. It was a private jet. There were only four passengers. They were all here for the same reason, to meet with Alves, and no one had spoken a word since the plane had taken off. Was it really too much to ask that she go annoy one of the other men?

Men, he would openly admit, looked a lot less homicidal than he did.

He was not in the mood for flirtatious staff when his girlfriend was on the island beneath them with no idea that he was coming home. It didn't matter that he would be gone by the next morning. It was the principle. And he knew if she ever found out – which was more than likely due to the fact he was _bound_ to run into _someone_ – she'd kick his ass from here to the mainland. And then Chin would have a go, just for good measure. Then Danny would help bandage him up, ranting while he worked, only to unleash Grace and her eyes on him.

Maybe he should get her something anyway. It'd be easy. Make a quick call to Kamekona and tell him that Five-0's next visit was on him. Or call Mary and ask her to sort it all out.

After he'd met Kono's parents, Steve had flown Mary in from the mainland for the weekend to 'officially meet his new girlfriend'. And to say she approved was an understatement. He blamed it on the fact that he hadn't seen her in years – and that girls in the Navy were nothing like his sister – but he had no idea that his sister was capable of squealing at levels only dogs could hear. He'd thought it was a myth.

Mary would definitely help him set up an advance apology to Kono. But she'd probably call Kono immediately to rat him out and ask her what fun she thought they could have on his credit card.

...He could live with that.

As he was contemplating when he would call his sister, he heard Wilcox talking to him through his earpiece. _"Everything's set up here, sir. Dingo's replaced Blakely's driver. He'll give you an update once you're on the tarmac. There's been a change of plans – you're going straight to the hotel."_

Unable to say anything, Steve just continued to glare ahead. After a long pause, Wilcox spoke again.

"_And Commander, I know you're trying to go for the whole pissed off gun runner thing, but you're gonna draw attention to yourself if you're not careful."_

Steve's hands clenched into fists as he tried to control the urge to punch something. Specifically, the Lieutenant on the other end of the line. Looks like Kono was getting something shiny. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, Steve found himself envisioning the jewellers he walked past whenever it was his turn to pick up lunch.

She wouldn't want a tennis bracelet. And Danny would rant about how he was, however indirectly, endorsing one of the many things he hated about Stan's corruption of his daughter. It was too soon for a ring. A watch would be impractical. A necklace...a necklace could work.

Releasing the breath, Steve opened his eyes. He didn't realise they'd snapped shut at Wilcox's words. Feeling slightly more in control, he began mentally looking through the store's brochure.

Their stock had probably changed in the last three months, but the general styles would stay the same. A heart was out – it was too clichéd – but there were several possibilities jumping out at him. It was something that would need to have meaning.

Something like an anchor.

_**HAWAIIFIVE0**_

Kono was propped up against the bar when Chin informed her that Alves had arrived at the hotel. They already knew he was meeting his clients in the lounge. For some reason, Alves had called off their original meeting at the empty warehouse in favour of waiting until dinner to discuss business.

They weren't sure if he'd been tipped off or if it was just his paranoid nature taking control. There was a strong case for the second one – he had a history of setting up meetings and never turning up, of changing plans at least three times in the hours before they were meant to go down, he was never seen in public unless it was absolutely necessary – but with HPD's history, they couldn't rule the first out either.

Glancing around the room, she saw Alves enter from the door closest to the bar. No crossing an open room unless necessary. That was another of his rules.

At that moment in time, Kono was sure she knew this guy better than anyone else on the island. They'd been tracking him for two weeks, trying to get to the bottom of his operation. He was relatively new around here, only cropping up within the last year and specialising in prostitution and protection rackets, but he was rising quickly. It wasn't until his account had received a payment almost entirely made up of tracked cash that more flags were raised and the case was transferred to Five-0.

Tonight was about two things. Finding out where Alves' was hiding his girls and who his contacts were. The man had his fingers in many pies, they just had to figure out which ones.

Although, if any one of these men belonged to the cartel that took Sam's niece, Kono couldn't be held responsible for her actions.

It had been almost three months now. The Steve sized hole in her heart wasn't hurting any less, no matter what Chin tried, she was just getting better at dealing with it. She could go to work, smile and laugh and function like a human being, his call had helped with that, but coming face to face with part of the reason he wasn't here? She was shooting them on principal.

Kono was the only one who knew about the possible link to Mexico. It had cropped up three days before, and it was so tenuous that she didn't risk telling anyone else. Not Danny, not Chin. Definitely not Lori. It was just one account number, hidden amongst hundreds of transactions. It didn't even stand out, really. But it was an account held in Mexico City. There were regular payments. HPD called it drugs money. Kono wouldn't even have noticed it if it wasn't for the fact that the payments were getting more regular. And larger.

HPD attributed it to Alves growing in power. Chin and Danny agreed. But the fact it was in Mexico made it stick in her mind. It didn't matter that there were countless cartels in the area...her gut told her it was important.

And they had been interrogating one of Alves' thugs, one of Kono's ex-boyfriends from when she was in high school. He flipped when she offered him the chance of a deal. He told them everything he knew.

According to Saul, Alves was in trouble. There were rumours of a rival cartel moving in on their bosses and taking out other players. The bigger Alves got, the bigger his target. He knew that. Their bosses in Mexico were starting to worry. Too much was going wrong and they had to protect their assets. Alves didn't like it. It was bringing several big players to his island. He seemed to think that was just asking for trouble.

Again, that wouldn't have struck Kono as odd at any other time. It made sense for the type of people they were dealing with.

But the attacks had started three months before.

And no one knew who this unknown enemy was. Some thought it was other Mexicans. Others thought the Yakuza. Or the Mafia. Others believed it was MI5, the CIA and Mossad. Some thought it was just plain bad luck. Saul didn't mention the SEALs. The thought didn't even cross his mind.

But it crossed Kono's. And that was enough.

Kono shook her head to push those thoughts away as she heard the click of the automatic door. There was no guarantee that there was any real link to Steve. She couldn't prove it and there was no use in holding out for something that could be a complete coincidence. He'd come home to her eventually. And she would kick his ass when he did. Turning to face the group of men walking in, she did a quick headcount and tried to see if she recognised any faces. It was doubtful, but it was worth a try. Picking up her cocktail again, she pretended to take a sip as she sized up the men.

She knew approaching Alves or one of his men would be fruitless. She needed to get one of his associates to notice _her_. They had been waiting in a private room upstairs and were to descend on his arrival. Her window would be short, but she was sure she cou-

"Hey Vasco! What the fuck're you playing at man? You enjoy giving us the run around?"

Kono's breath hitched in her throat as her head snapped towards the man marching across the lounge. He might be disguising his voice, but she'd seen that trick a million times before. As her eyes raked over Steve, she found herself simultaneously checking him over for any visible injuries and fighting the urge to jump him.

She was sure she'd feel the same way even if he'd walked into the room wearing full war paint and gear, but he's wearing an expensive looking tux that certainly doesn't belong to him, and donning an Irish accent which makes her practically melt into a puddle every time.

He was _here_.

_Alive_.

She was going to kill him.

His eyes met hers across the room and she had to repress a shiver. His eyes were dark, raking over her body as if she was something he wanted to eat...which she was definitely okay with. She was wearing the same black dress she'd worn on their last undercover op. It was tasteful...but it left little to the imagination. To a SEAL who hadn't seen his girlfriend in three months, that had to be like an open invitation.

Then he'd refocused his gaze on her suspect and the glare was back.

Alves turned to face Steve, seeming totally at ease despite the glare he was on the receiving end of. Kono couldn't be sure, but on the Danny scale of one (he's smiling what the hell's wrong) to ten (aneurysm face) this was probably about a twelve.

Alves was the picture of calm as he replied, "I'm sorry Michael. Something came up."

Steve's only reaction to his answer was to roll his eyes and stop next to Kono. Grabbing her hand, he offered her a quick smile before towing her towards the group. This could be easier than she expected. "We don't appreciate being kept waiting. Remember Alves, I don't need to help you."

"Who's this?" At Alves' bodyguard's words, Kono suddenly felt like she was on display. Every man in the group looked her up and down like she was a piece of meat. Steve dropped her hand, instead opting to wrap his arm around her in the universal signal of _mine_. Except his was also accompanied by a look that promised a slow, painful death to anyone who threatened her.

"This is Kali. My girlfriend." Steve grinned as Dingo exploded in his ear. Tilting his head in Kono's direction he continued, "She flew in ahead of me to get a feel for the situation. This _is_ her turf after all."

"_What the __**fuck**__ are you doing Steve?"_ Dingo was losing it. He was using first names. When Steve was otherwise engaged, Dingo played puppet master. He pulled the strings and it was his job to have their backs. While he couldn't account for everything, and their missions rarely went according to the initial plan, he didn't like it when his people made moves from nowhere. They were _supposed_ to move as one entity. They should almost read each other's minds.

This didn't fall into that category.

"_Dammit McGarrett! Answer me! What. The. Fuck. You can play catch-up with your girlfriend later. Is she even your girlfriend or is it just some HPD bimbo that's trying to muscle in and you don't want her to blow your cover? I can't back you up if you don't give me something to work with you ungrateful son of a -"_

"You didn't mention a girlfriend." While he tried to keep his demeanour unchanged, the frightened look was back in Alves eyes. It was the look that came with caged animals. Fight or flight.

He was paranoid by nature. It was why he'd gotten so far so quickly. He trusted no one and was ruthless in cutting his losses. Meeting someone similar never sat well with him, but he knew he had to play along.

Their bosses in Mexico were getting worried – too many of their operations were being taken out by local competition or busted by police. This was like a reshuffling of the workforce. Alves would continue the prostitution using local connections while Blakely took the Mexican element overseas and when things cooled down, the cartel would return to Hawaii.

Steve could almost read the other man's thoughts as they flashed through his eyes. This one would definitely be a talker. Smirking he replied coldly, "I know I didn't."

Alves was silent for a moment, refusing to break Steve's stare. Just as Kono was getting the urge to roll her eyes at the power struggle between the men, Alves broke the eye contact – effectively surrendering to Steve – and turned his gaze to her. "He said this was your turf?"

Kono felt Steve's arm tighten imperceptibly around her as she answered Alves with a bored smile. "Yeah, brah. North Shore." She didn't mention which group she was supposed to belong to, it didn't matter. Alves' mind would be going into overdrive with the possibilities, fuelling his paranoia. Her voice turned steely as she continued, "Which means if you don't play ball with us I can make life very difficult for you. So quit messing around and let's get down to business."

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><p><strong>I was asked what the SEALs looked like. So here we go... (there's no links cause ff hates me...if anyone wants the pictures I had picked out, just ask)<strong>

**Sam: Chris O'Donnell. No link to the fact that Steve knows Sam from NCIS:LA. **

**Wilcox: Christian Kane. As a SEAL it'd be the short hair look, but I do quite like him with the long hair. **

**Rhodes: Dillon Casey (Sean from Nikita)**

**Dingo: A younger version of Chris Evans. The Captain America look is just a little too polished.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So...Sorry? This has been sitting on my laptop half finished since before essay season started...and it really should have been updated weeks ago. I was going to split this into two chapters, but then decided that would just be nasty (it was a cliffhanger...you can probably guess where the cut off was from reading it)**

**But anyways. Here it is :)**

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><p>"I'm going to kill him." Danny growled as he glared at the screen in their surveillance van. "I'm going to kill him and I'm going to enjoy it."<p>

"Chill, brah." Chin answered, somehow managing to sound more composed than he actually felt. Even before he joined HPD, he'd always been the calm one. He put it down to years of experience of dealing with his younger cousins – after the fourth or fifth crisis, you tended taper down your emotions and deal with the situation. Extending that to his job had been easy. Kono...she was the exception. She was the only one who could push his limits, who could force him into a fully blown panic. And she hadn't changed.

She could do it when she was a teenager taking on waves that even her instructors wouldn't look twice at, and she could do it now when she decided to run off with her boyfriend in the middle of...Chin wasn't even sure what this was. "They know what they're doing."

"Know what they're – really, you think they know what they're – _did you not see_ _what just happened in there?_" Danny was indignant, arms flailing as he struggled to convey his point. It was a side Chin hadn't really seen since Steve had disappeared. There was no need for him to chastise their resident SEAL, and nothing Kono could do was on the same level as Steve's insanity, so he'd toned it down. But now he was back in full swing. "Steve just killed six men. And he took their bodies and ran off with Kono. And let's not forget that he's kidnapped our suspect. Or that he _killed six men_. I am not overreacting here!"

"Guys, what do I do?" Lori's voice drifted over the speakers, drawing their attention back to the screens. She was still in the private room, surveying the damage without getting any closer. As much as she tried to hide it, she couldn't disguise the fear in her voice. She'd never seen that side of Steve. None of them had. They knew it had to be in there. That he had probably done unspeakable things during his time in the Navy.

But seeing it...watching as he neutralised his targets...that had scared her.

She couldn't quite shake the look he'd had when he told her not to follow him. It was alien, foreign. It wasn't the Steve she knew. That wasn't the man they worked with. _That_ was Lieutenant Commander McGarrett.

At least now they knew what he meant when he said he'd worked the other side.

Before anyone could answer, the other screens flickered back to life. Danny swore under his breath as he realised what he was seeing – the security cameras were back online. _Of course_ it had been Steve's team who had disabled them.

Chin took a deep breath before he turned his attention back to what Lori was looking at. The scene was almost clear, except for a few bloodstains and overturned chairs. There was nothing there that could help them with their investigation. They'd just have to wait. "We process the scene. Say the meeting got out of hand and someone opened fire. It looked like that when you got back with the drinks. And then we kill McGarrett when he calls us to tell us what the hell he's playing at."

**[Fifteen Minutes Earlier]**

Lori took a deep breath before she schooled her features and headed towards the private room. If everything had gone to plan, Kono would have caught the attention of one of these men while they were waiting at the bar and gotten herself invited in. However, since Kono's only connection to the team was an earpiece, Lori had no idea if the plan had worked or not.

Because of how close she would need to get to her target, Kono had argued that all she could risk was the earpiece. They'd be looking for cameras or a wire, so she was safer if she was clean. And then she'd reminded them that she'd gone deeper undercover with less, so she sure as hell could handle this.

Danny had ranted at that, telling her that she was insane and channelling Steve – which _wasn't_ a good thing – and there was no way he was letting her do this. The profiler in Lori had noticed Kono tense at his words, something flashing in her eyes before she pushed it away. Lori had let her actions slide without any further thought; profiling your team was frowned upon in most cases, especially at Five-0. It was already obvious that they all missed Steve.

Three months, and all they'd had to prove his continued existence was that one phone call weeks before. Everyone one was edge.

As Chin kept reminding them, no news was good news. But couldn't he just send them a message of some kind? Anything. She was pretty sure they'd take smoke signals and traffic lights flashing in Morse code if he was responsible for it.

Attempting to keep her mind on the task at hand and off of Steve, Lori had jumped in and added that they only needed one of Steve. Anymore and the island might implode. Danny had gestured wildly in her direction, glad that someone had backed him up. However, Chin had sighed and admitted that Kono had a point.

He didn't have to like it. But she had a point.

So Kono was in there without any form of surveillance whatsoever. Chin was wired into the hotels security system, but for some reason the hotel's security cameras were down and couldn't be fixed until the next day. They were relying on the back up, which gave about as much detail as photos of Big Foot. Kono's job was to sit there, look pretty and hope someone let something slip while she was there. Lori was her backup, the one with the wire and the camera, hoping to catch something on tape while praying she didn't have to save Kono's ass.

As she entered the room, Lori spotted Kono instantly. Sitting just a little too close to one of the men, her hand under the table resting on his leg. She leant over to whisper something in his ear as Lori entered, and in response the man reached around her back, grabbed the base of the chair and pulled her even closer. He didn't take his arm back, he merely moved it so it was casually resting on the back of her chair, and to Lori's surprised Kono happily moved into the loose embrace. Okay. That was good.

Strange, but good.

"_You have your own chair, cuz," _Lori could hear Chin's smirk as his voice appeared in her ear,_ "I suggest using it instead of moving closer to our suspect's lap. I don't want to have to explain to the Governor why I shot the poor guy."_

Repressing her first thought of 'slut', Lori forced herself to walk into the room as if nothing was wrong. It wasn't that she didn't _like_ the other woman, they just didn't click. And they both accepted that. They'd never be friends if they'd met outside of work, so why try and force something that wasn't natural.

And as petty as it seemed, Lori couldn't help but see Kono as a rival for Steve's affections.

Kono was used to being the only girl on the team. And the baby on top of that. But then she'd lost her badge and Lori had come in and replaced her. Although she was back now, that had to hurt. Even Lori could admit that she would have struggled if she was in Kono's position. Being forced to work with – to be civil to – the woman who had replaced you when there were most likely still feelings of hurt and anger there? That took guts.

And there was the profiling again. She really needed to stop that.

But it was true. Kono had every right to hate her. And Lori was glad she didn't, because the 'rookie' could definitely take her.

But it was Kono's relationship with Steve that was the biggest hurdle in building any bridges with the other woman. Steve was attractive. You'd have to be blind to miss _that_. You only had to go out for drinks after work a few times know that women threw themselves at him.

And. He. Didn't. Even. _Blink_.

He didn't seem to care. He'd look, sure. Sometimes. And maybe he'd even let the girls think he was interested for a bit. But he'd never act on it. At least not when they were around. Everyone had heard Danny's rants about how ungrateful Steve was for all the attention, how he was a terrible wingman...the list went on.

And Steve would just smirk, take a sip of his beer, drape his arm around Kono's chair, _because she always seemed to end up next to him_, and direct a smart comment at his partner. Which would start another rant.

There was something about their relationship that confused her, even as a profiler. They acted like a couple, but they didn't. They seemed to almost orbit each other without even noticing it, yet still managed to keep each other at arm's length. They could anticipate the other's next move, and they always seemed to keep tabs on each other when they were in the same vicinity. But you could never call them unprofessional. And he'd never shown favouritism or more concern than expected for Kono.

It didn't make sense.

The rational part of her mind pointed out that Steve was like that with everyone. It was his job to know where his team was at all times, to move in sync with them...he was a SEAL. It was what he did. She was reading too much into things that weren't there.

But that didn't change how she felt. Steve was Mr. Mixed Signals. When they'd first met, he'd checked her out, but that didn't mean she wasn't one of those girls he toyed with then put down. The real problem was that Lori couldn't shake the feeling that he couldn't see her for looking at Kono.

If she had her chance, or if he _told_ her she had no chance – hell, even if he hooked up with Kono without giving her a second glance – she's sure she could move on. But not when she can't figure out where she stands. And especially not when he isn't here and everyone is too preoccupied with worrying if he's dead or alive.

Lori looked around the circular table, trying to focus on getting a glimpse of the men so Chin could ID them. She hated this, the waiting. Steve was always on their minds. And right now, her mind should be on the job at hand.

Their guy, Alves, was directly across from Kono and her unsuspecting 'victim' – if you could ever call a man like that a victim – and facing the door. A strategic move so he could see everything that was going on. To his left sat his bodyguard, to his right were two of his lieutenants.

She couldn't see the other four men clearly, but she didn't expect to recognise them. Tonight, Alves was meeting with a few of his 'business associates' from out of town, hoping to finalise a few deals. When Chin and Danny ran their photos, they were hoping to find out what exactly Alves was into other than human trafficking.

"Hello," Lori grinned as she rounded the table to get a better look at Alves' guests. "I'm Kirsty and I'll be your server this evening. Can I get you boys more drinks?"

"I'll have a Scotch," a familiar voice came from her left, but it sounded all wrong. The words were delivered with a flawless Irish accent, but she'd know that gruff voice anywhere, "What about you babe?"

Lori's head snapped to the source, trying to control the shock that was coursing through her body and praying that her jaw wouldn't drop. She heard Chin and Danny explode on the other end of the line, but she couldn't make sense of their words.

Steve.

Sitting there, cool as anything, Steve. Asking Kono what she wanted to drink as if it was the most normal thing it the world. Kono. Cuddled into his side, lips next to his ear... Okay, maybe not now. Now she was smiling at Lori as if this was nothing and telling her she wanted a Cosmo.

This time, Lori didn't stop the unbidden thought.

_Bitch_.

_**HAWAIIFIVE0**_

"Tell me you got a hit off some of those guys." Lori breathed as she finally escaped the private room. Any and all skills she had undercover had been tested to the limit in the last few minutes.

Steve. Steve was here.

In Hawaii.

With their suspect. Pretending to be Irish.

Fuck.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck _.

"I'll do you one better than that, we got hits on them all." Chin's soothing tones were all that was keeping her grounded in that moment. Taking a deep breath, Lori pulled herself together and headed towards the bar. She could do this. It was a hiccup...a rather large Steve-shaped hiccup, but they could deal with it. "It's not good. Looks like Alves is setting up a deal of some kind. With one exception, his guests are all known human traffickers. Serbia, Croatia, Syria. I'd say he's trying to get his girls out of the country and fast."

"And let me guess," Lori murmured as she waited for the bartender to make ready the drinks order, "Our exception is Steve."

"Bingo." This time it was Danny who answered, sounding more than a little irate. Lori could see where he was coming from – Steve was his best friend. Danny had been more worried than any of them. Despite Danny knowing that Steve couldn't tell them he was here, and that it was impossible for Steve to have any prior knowledge of their case, Danny would still find some way to be annoyed at the SEAL. "Except his name isn't Steve. He's an Irish national by the name of Michael Blakely. Arms dealer. He's wanted for a string of offences dating back at least ten years. Murder, arms dealing, fraud...nothing to do with human trafficking though. "

"Well we know Alves set up this meet," Lori mused, scanning the room in the hope that she might be able to identify Steve's fellow SEALS. It was a long shot, but she could try. "He must have invited him. The idea has to be that one of them is thinking of expanding their business. So either Blakely or Alves have never met and Steve took Blakely's place at the last minute, or Steve's using Blakely as a way in."

"What does the Navy want with a guy like Alves anyway?" Danny didn't really want an answer to his question, he was just thinking aloud. "If Blakely is selling guns to anyone with a bank account, I can see the interest. Not with Alves. Unless there's a girl in there who means something, I can't see why the SEALs would get involved."

"Orders ready." The bartender caught Lori's attention by sliding a tray in front of her. She smiled at the kid – he couldn't be more than twenty three – and headed back towards the private room. She balanced the tray easily, the skills she'd picked up while she was in college not totally deserting her.

Danny and Chin's conversation didn't need her input as she made her way down the corridor, mostly focusing on how they were going to deal with the situation now that they had made Steve. Chin didn't want to involve the Governor, feeling it could cause a lot of tension between Denning and the Navy. And create a lot of red tape. Danny agreed. He said it would probably be a better idea to discreetly contact someone at Pearl, or try and get a hold of one of Steve's Navy buddies and ask them what to do.

Lori sighed internally when she realised she'd need to report all that back to Denning anyway. However, those thoughts quickly vacated her mind as she entered the private room.

There were two entry points to the room, both doors swinging both ways to make things easier for servers. It meant Lori opened the door with her shoulder, looked down at to make sure the tray stayed steady, then looked back up again as she faced the room. She didn't even need to look at the occupants to notice the change in the atmosphere. She could _feel_ it as soon as she crossed the threshold.

Snapping her attention towards the table, her first reaction was worry. Fear that Steve or Kono had been made.

They hadn't. But there were two men in the room that she didn't recognise. Both wore identical uniforms to her, but these men were far too bulky to be waiters. The laundry carts against the wall and the blank expressions on their faces told her all she needed to know.

"_Lori, get out of there now."_

.

Steve heard the door click as Lori re-entered the room with their drinks order but didn't move his gaze from Alves. They'd had to modify their plan of attack slightly when Steve had pulled Kono into the room. Dingo had bitched, but he had altered the plan accordingly.

Instead of waiting until after dinner, they'd move at the first opportunity. Steve was pretty sure this was still a Five-0 case, but the he couldn't ask Kono and they couldn't risk someone barging in and blowing their cover. His team...he's sure they have enough sense to stay out of it.

The fact Danny hadn't come barging in the moment Lori laid eyes on him was a good sign. But he couldn't promise the same once the work started. He'd warned Kono once they took their seats. He wished he hadn't seen the fear flash through her eyes before she gave a determined nod. She'd seen him do a lot of things since they'd started working together...this was worse than all that.

Losing her over this...it wasn't an option.

Rhodes and Wilcox were on the opposite side of the table dressed as waiters. Their entrance had been almost silent and discreet, no one but Kono had noticed their arrival. The others were too focused on the argument between Steve and Alves that they couldn't see what was in front of them.

Steve tried to ignore the glances his men were throwing at Kono. There was no intent behind it – if you valued your life you did not _look_ at your superior's girl – but it unsettled him. It had only taken a few moments for Dingo to run her photo and determine that the girl in the room was the same girl he'd called a few weeks before. They were curious. They wanted to see what kind of girl had finally tamed Smooth Dog. But this wasn't the place for that meeting.

"_Okay Dog, ready when you are."_

At Dingo's words, Steve straightened fully from his chair and stepped out behind it. He turned and took two steps towards the door they'd entered from. He paused for a moment, locking eyes with Lori. The blonde was frozen to the spot, clutching the tray of drinks so hard her knuckles were white. She didn't try to hide the fear in her apprehensive gaze.

_Don't scream_.

The exchange only lasted a heartbeat. Steve heard the creaking of the chair that signalled Kono had shifted her weight and spun back around, pulling two guns from inside his suit. As he locked onto his targets, Kono hit the floor, throwing herself under the table like he'd told her to.

He took out the two men closest to him – the Serbian and the Syrian – without blinking. In his peripheral vision he saw Alves' and his men react, but Wilcox and Rhodes had already moved in. The bodyguard and one of the lieutenants were dead before they could even reach for their weapons. Steve adjusted his angle and fired again, taking out the final visitor with a third headshot. He moved again to cover his men, but it was needless. Rhodes had already snapped the other lieutenant's neck and Wilcox was in the process of incapacitating Alves. Less than two minutes had elapsed and it was over.

"_You're still in the clear, no one heard anything."_ Of course they didn't. The silencers reduced the gunshot to a pop. The snapping of the necks would be covered by the music outside in the bar. The biggest liability had been Lori. _"Hallways are clear, let's get you lot out of there."_

Steve ignored the rest of the room as he knelt down next to the table. He wouldn't apologise for what he just did. He felt no regret or remorse. This was just part of the job. But he might apologise that she'd had to see that. Wilcox and Rhodes could handle clean up, he would deal with Kono and Lori.

Steve wasn't surprised when he saw Kono staring back at him resolutely. The fear was still there, but she had a handle on it. And it wasn't directed at him. He smiled tentatively at her, as if he was trying to show her it was still him, before he held out a hand to help her back to her feet.

She grabbed it without hesitation, holding on maybe a little too tight and pulled herself up. "I'm going with you." There was a steely determination in her voice, and Steve almost laughed as he realised it was the same tone she used when did something to irritate her. He could almost imagine the 'or you are not sharing a bed with me tonight' tacked on to the end of it.

He couldn't fight her even if he wanted to. He knew when he saw her at the bar that she was coming with them. He couldn't walk away from her. And she'd make his life a living hell if he did.

Making no move to answer, he just nodded and turned to Lori. Three of the bodies were already in the carts. The others would join them by the time he was finished. He knew what Chin and Danny would see...they would see the way the whole operation was carried out with methodical certainty. The way the bodies were removed of their cell phones and weapons before they were unceremoniously dumped. It was cold, calculated and brutal. ...This was what he did. Part of it.

"You didn't see any of this." Steve didn't look at Lori, he looked at the button camera in her uniform. The profiler alone didn't pose a threat, all she could do was report to Denning, but Steve was on Navy time and everything was sanctioned. The bigger worry was the Chin or Danny – mostly Danny – would decided that they couldn't let this slide. That they were his team, his family, and he had just waltzed in and stolen their case. Danny would have a field day when he finally got a hold of him. Steve just needed to finish his mission first. "Don't follow us, don't even try. I'll let you know when you can close the case."

"We're ready to go sir." Rhodes called from the other side of the room, cutting him off before he could say anything else.

Throwing one more look at Lori, Steve turned on his heel and headed towards his men. He grabbed Kono's hand and pulled her towards the exit, noticing that she had already removed her earpiece and left it on the table. He nodded towards Wilcox and Rhodes, silently giving them their next orders, before he pushed the door open and headed into the hallway. He and Kono would go first to make sure it was clear then head to the car park to retrieve the car Rhodes had left there earlier. Rhodes and Wilcox would take the bodies to the van Dingo had waiting outside.

They were rentals. Fake names, fake IDs, Dingo had wiped the records almost as soon as they were saved...it was virtually untraceable. The number of red Audis and silver vans leaving this hotel was astounding. They'd blend right in. They'd disappear seamlessly into the chaos that was downtown Honolulu and meet at their base in thirty minutes.

Danny was definitely going to shoot him this time.


End file.
